Restaurant Review: Dehesa | London, UK

So when our host, Carla, suggested we go to one of her favourite restaurants Dehesa, she had no argument from me. Do I ever argue with food?

Seems that I have met my foodie match. Carla dines out ALL the time and knows all the good spots. She’s been my personal London pocket guide, bless her.

Dehesa is a charcuterie and tapas bar inspired by Italian & Spanish cuisine.

Opening it’s doors in 2008, it’s brought to you by the same owners as Salt Yard in Fitzrovia and L’Opera Tavern in Covent Garden, all offering similar style sharing platters served in a chilled environment.

The decor is simple and stylish – with brown hued walls and simple furniture, so as not to detract from the main attraction – the food and wine.

The name is derived from a unique woodland area in Spain which is home to the black-footed Ibérico pigs – said to produce the best ham in the world, which they say, reflects their commitment to quality and dedication to carefully sourced products.

I visited their Soho location, located at the end of busy Ganton Street.

The menu consists of several platter options including charcuterie plates of hams on and off the bone and entry-level, acorn-fed jamón ibérico and cheese plates mixing the expected manchego to more unique torta de barros.

There are also several tapas options including house cured duck breast; Roast Rump of Lamb with Baby Vegetables and Apple & Brown Butter Sauce; Pan Fried Sea Bream with Fennel & Dill Puree and Kohlrabi, Fennel and Parsley Salad and Spinach and Ricotta Malfatti with Baked Beetroot Purée and Walnut Dressing.

Being Carla’s favourite restaurant, we let her do the ordering.

She started us off with Tomato Bruschetta and Bread with Aoili.

Followed by a Charcuterie Plate topped with 3 types of spanish meats.

And a Cheese Plate.

Then we moved onto the Courgette Flowers Stuffed with Goats’ Cheese and Drizzled with Honey.